The world according to David Ives is a very add place; and his plays constitute a virtual stress test of the English language -- and of the audiences capacity for disorientation and delight. Ivess characters plunge into black holes called "Philadelphias;" where the simplest desires are hilariously thwarted. Chimps named Milton; Swift; and Kafka are locked in a room and made to re-create Hamlet. And a con man peddles courses in a dubious language in which "hello" translates as "velcro" and "fraud" comes out as "freud."At once enchanting and perplexing; incisively intelligent and side-splittingly funny; this original paperback edition of Ivess plays includes "Sure Thing;" "Words; Words; Words;" "The Universal Language;" "Variations on the Death of Trotsky;" "The Philadelphia;" "Long Ago and Far Away;" "Foreplay; or The Art of the Fugue;" "Seven Menus;" "Mere Mortals;" "English Made Simple;" "A Singular Kinda Guy;" "Speed-the-Play;" "Ancient History;" and "Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread."From the Trade Paperback edition.
#948468 in eBooks 2010-11-16 2010-11-16File Name: B0045JK002
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Must-read for fans. but choppy translationBy Cynthia JewellI really enjoyed this book. and found it to help fill the gaps in the comic series. (I read all 10.) It was nice to read this text-only autobiography. because the author could get into a deeper place with the things that happened. in ways you cannot when tied to the visual medium. For instance. in the manga. the author must have a character explain openly the motives of a person. when in text. this can remain as inner thoughts. not spoken aloud. Because of this. the book felt richer in some ways than the manga. It was also good to learn exactly where the author took liberties to keep the manga flowing -- in short. I was glad to get the facts straight.I agree with a few other reviewers that the prose of the book itself was a bit lacking -- it helps to know this ahead of time and ignore it. It felt like the English translator either spoke Japanese as his first language. or got caught up with the choppy nature of translation. and didnt go back to smooth things into a more English-style of writing. Only very occasionally were there moments of "poetry" where a few lovely metaphors came through -- it made me wonder if the original was more beautiful to read.Overall. Im very glad I read it. If you are a fan of the comics. then this is a must-read.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Barefoot Gen lives!By Raymond G. WilsonIf you have read the Barefoot Gen books or seen the films. 1 2. you must have had many questions about the author. Keiji Nakazawas. life. Was life really that tough in Japan before August 6. 1945? What was Gens father doing home instead of fighting the war? Was it all really true. about siblings and father and mother? What did artistic license allow Nakazawa to include and leave out? Did Gen marry. have children? What does "Gen" really feel about the "Imperial system?" How difficult was it in Japan to tell the truth about what really happened to the city of Hiroshima and its people under the atomic bomb explosion and in the aftermath? Would you marry an atomic bomb victim? This is an excellent book for adults and younger people who wish to know the truth about what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And then to consider what is right for the world. This story of the "real Gen" needed to be told. Richard Minear has done a great job editing and translating. Keiji Nakazawa died December 19. 2012. at age 73.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A truly powerful read!By DanYou dont need to read Barefoot Gen to appreciate this book. Its heartbreaking. beautiful. passionate and a powerful salute to the human spirit. I read it in less than an afternoon and felt like a different person when I was finished. Its THAT moving.
